4.5 Aquatic Ecosystems Worksheet Answer Key

Question: what are the four main factors that affect aquatic ecosystems?

Answer: the water’s depth, temperature, flow, and amount of dissolved nutrients

Question: what does the depth of the water determine?

Answer: the type of zone ( photic, aphotic, benthic )

Question: what distinguishes the photic zone from the aphotic zone in an aquatic ecosystem?

Answer: photic zone is the region where sunlight and photosynthesis occurs. aphotic zone is dark and photosythesis cannot occur.

Question: the three main categories of freshwater ecosystems are?

Answer: rivers and streams, wetlands. and lakes and ponds

Question: flowing water ecosytems originate from underground water sources in?

Answer: mountains or hills

Question: circulating water in lakes and ponds distributes?

Answer: heat, oxygen, and nutrients throughout the system

Question: plankton is a general term that that includes both

Answer: phytoplankton and zooplankton

Question: an ecosytem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil is called a

Answer: wetland

Question: freshwater wetlands purify water by

Answer: filtering pollutants

Question: the three types of freshwater wetlands are

Answer: bogs, marshes, and swamps